Christy J. (southernsassygirl) reviewed The Measure of Katie Calloway (Michigan Northwoods, Bk 1) on + 180 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I never knew spending time with a ornery old cook, a group of dirty loggers, and a frightened Indian who could barely speak would make for one of the best historical books I've read all year! Serena Miller successfully transported me to the cold forests of Michigan with this charming tale, and I absolutely hated to leave. While I enjoyed the ebb and flow of camp life, as well as the subtle romance that steadily built between Katie and Robert, what I really loved to read about was the food. Oh, the food! Juicy apple pie, warm peach cobbler, and mouth-watering flapjacks had me itching to jump into the kitchen to cook up a mess of yummy food! The one thing that would have made the book complete would've been some recipes at the end. :o) Oh, well... It was still a delightful book.
Serena Miller's realistic tale of life after the Civil War was one that deserves a permanent place on the keeper shelf. I'm anxious to recommend it to my friends and family, and as far as I'm concerned, her next book can't get here soon enough!
Serena Miller's realistic tale of life after the Civil War was one that deserves a permanent place on the keeper shelf. I'm anxious to recommend it to my friends and family, and as far as I'm concerned, her next book can't get here soon enough!
Renee C. (steelergirl83) reviewed The Measure of Katie Calloway (Michigan Northwoods, Bk 1) on + 54 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Have you ever watched the tv series Ax Men? Everyday the guys face incredible dangers and hardships. Now imagine taking away almost all of their safety equipment and throwing their chainsaws over a cliff. The job would be ten times as dangerous and yet 150 years ago that's how logging was done.
In her Revell debut, The Measure of Katie Calloway, author Serena Miller brings to life the logging camps of old with danger, romance, and a dash of humor. The loggers in the wilds of Michigan had very little but no matter what they always had full stomachs. A bad camp cook could be worse than a log jam on a river drive but thanks to Katie Calloway the men of Robert Foster's company ate like kings.
This book is a very interesting look into a seldom seen world even today. There will be times when you're heart literally skips a beat especially when the river rats follow their pine to payday down raging rapids in the spring. Loggers who went under, no matter how strong a swimmer they were, often didn't surface. Ms. Miller definitely knows how to write a dramatic scene that takes your breath! To top it all off there's a subtle romance that pulls at the heartstrings. The conclusion was a bit rushed for my taste but all in all this is definitely an author whose books I will be reading more of.
In her Revell debut, The Measure of Katie Calloway, author Serena Miller brings to life the logging camps of old with danger, romance, and a dash of humor. The loggers in the wilds of Michigan had very little but no matter what they always had full stomachs. A bad camp cook could be worse than a log jam on a river drive but thanks to Katie Calloway the men of Robert Foster's company ate like kings.
This book is a very interesting look into a seldom seen world even today. There will be times when you're heart literally skips a beat especially when the river rats follow their pine to payday down raging rapids in the spring. Loggers who went under, no matter how strong a swimmer they were, often didn't surface. Ms. Miller definitely knows how to write a dramatic scene that takes your breath! To top it all off there's a subtle romance that pulls at the heartstrings. The conclusion was a bit rushed for my taste but all in all this is definitely an author whose books I will be reading more of.
Marie B. (burtonreview) -
Helpful Score: 1
Hypnotizing storyteller Serena Miller writes such atmospheric writing that it deftly absorbs the reader into the story of the loggers and the plight of Katie Calloway.
While the straight and narrow character of Katie lacks emotional development, the plot makes up for it with both tragic and endearing situations. She is taking care of her young brother and desperate to escape an abusive marriage which is a political clash of North and South in post-Civil War Georgia. Katie seizes the opportunity to run away, taking little Ned with her to parts unknown. Traveling to Michigan, she meets up with Robert Foster who gives her a respectable job as a cook for the loggers whom he employs, offering a sanctuary for Katie that she has never had. The lines eventually begin to blur between the boss and cook, but the secret that Katie hides threatens everyone's security at the logger camp.
Katies story is made more enticing with the scenery and supporting characters of the camp: a surly head cook, the many loggers at the camp, and Robert and his children. Robert battles his own demons, but can Robert save Katie from her marriage and still feel like an honest Christian? A captivating story, that will almost make you believe that you can smell the white pine forest from your bedroom.
While the straight and narrow character of Katie lacks emotional development, the plot makes up for it with both tragic and endearing situations. She is taking care of her young brother and desperate to escape an abusive marriage which is a political clash of North and South in post-Civil War Georgia. Katie seizes the opportunity to run away, taking little Ned with her to parts unknown. Traveling to Michigan, she meets up with Robert Foster who gives her a respectable job as a cook for the loggers whom he employs, offering a sanctuary for Katie that she has never had. The lines eventually begin to blur between the boss and cook, but the secret that Katie hides threatens everyone's security at the logger camp.
Katies story is made more enticing with the scenery and supporting characters of the camp: a surly head cook, the many loggers at the camp, and Robert and his children. Robert battles his own demons, but can Robert save Katie from her marriage and still feel like an honest Christian? A captivating story, that will almost make you believe that you can smell the white pine forest from your bedroom.
Helpful Score: 1
I LOVED this story. Very heart warming. Katie is running from an abusive husband that tried to kill her and finds a group of various personalities in a log mining camp to call family. You will laugh, cry and generally feel great when the story is done.
